Strip of separable combustible insert sleeve blanks

ABSTRACT

A strip of separable combustible insert sleeve blanks for use in a solid fuel heater container, the insert sleeve having supporting legs for predetermined positioning with respect to the fuel in the heater container.

United States Patent lnventors Clarence M. Doerlng Nederland; I Leonard S. Senl, Port Arthur, both of Tex. Appl. No. 834,575 Filed Apr. 13, 1969 D1s1s16n'6'r Ser. N0. 693,878, D6 27, 1967, Pat. N6. 3,495,924.

Texaco lnc.

New York, N.Y.

Patented Assignee STRIP 0F SEPARABLE COMBUSTIBLE INSERT SLEEVE BLANKS 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 206/56 AB, 229/15 Int. Cl B65d 69/00, 865d 3/24 Field 01 Search K. 206/56 A,

56 AB;229/D1G.9,15,14 C; 43 1/288, 289, 291: 273/210;126/S9.5

Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer AtlorneysK. E. Kavanagh and Thomas H. Whaley ABSTRACT: A strip of separable combustible insert sleeve blanks for use in a solid fuel heater container, the insert sleeve having supporting legs for predetermined positioning with respect to the fuel in the heater container.

STRIP OF SEPARABLE COMBUSTIBLE INSERT SLEEVE BLANKS This is a division of application Ser. No. 693,878, filed Dec. 27, I967, which issued as US. Pat. No 3,495,924 on Feb. I7, I970.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION of the fuel during cooling, and also serves as a retainer for molten fuel after ignition of the heater and to a strip for producing the insert sleeve blanks.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In the commonly assigned US. Pat. No. 3,338,69l, issued to E. C. Knowles and F. C. McCoy on Aug. 29, I967, for a Heating Composition, there is disclosed and claimed a novel heating composition for solid fuel heaters which are desirable for use in orchards to protect citrus trees from freezing. However, these heaters, due to their size, their use of solid fuel, and the heat they give off with low flame height, may be used in many other ways, such as camp stoves, personal heaters, emergency signals and the like.

Previously, citrus orchard heaters were in the shape of a rectangular box or upright cylinder and set in an open-ended container. Embedded in the heaters were inserts which acted as flame holders to sustain burning during high winds. Further, hydrocarbon materials were impregnated in the fuel and inserts to aid in supporting combustion.

During fabrication of the heaters, molten fuel is poured into a container wherein it cools and contracts. A wicking means, e.g. oiled perlite, can be added either before or after the pouring. Due to the thermal gradient existing throughout the fuel during cooling, a separation or void results between the container wall and the cooled contracted solid fuel of the heater.

' Another void'or vug may-be formed in the upper central portion of the solid fuel below the wicking means. I

When the solid fuel heater is ignited in the field, the fuel closest to the flame melts and floats on top of the still solid 'fuel. It is desirable that this molten fuel remain on top of the heater in contact with the wicking means to feed the flame. Instead, the melted fuel would drain into the sidewall separation or the central vugs and voids which form during cooling, starving the flame leading to extinction thereof. Thus, the heaters would have to be reignited continuously by an operator if the orchard were to be protected. I

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. I is an elevation cross section ofa solid fuel heater as manufactured in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a container for a solid fuel heater with an insert sleeve of the present invention embedded therein;

FIG. 3 is an elevation section ofthe solid fuel heater of FIG. 2, taken along the line 3-3 thereof;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the insert sleeve of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a blank with scorings thereon for providing a T- scctioninsert sleeve; and

FIG. 5a discloses a blank with scorings thereon for providing an insert sleeve with tapered supporting legs.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is made to the figures of the drawing wherein a cylindrical container 2, with bottom 3 and upstanding sidewall 5, is shown as substantially filled with a solid fuel 4. In the prior art (FIG. I), as the molten fuel cooled, it hardened irregularly to enclose a void or vug 6 in the upper central portion below the wicking means I0 for the solid fuel 4.

The contraction of the fuel during cooling also tended to develop a separation or void 8 from the inside wall of the container 2 and is shown exaggerated.

Thus, when the heater was ignited, the molten fuel drained away from the combustion area into vugs, voids, or the separation so that the flame, with little or no fuel, burned weakly before going out.

A wicking means I0 such as oiled perlite can be mixed with the solid fuel, while molten, so that continually new wicking means are always available to the flame. Alternately, the wicking means can be allowed to float to the top of the molten fuel in the container 2 when it is placed in the container before the pouring of the molten fuel or floated 'therconafter pourlng.

The solid fuel heater can be ignited readily by pouring a small amount of a lighter fluid over the wicking means at the top of the container. As the heater burns, the solid fuel 4 adjacent the flame melts and through the capillary action of the wicking means is fed to the flame.

The solid fuel has the same composition as disclosed in the commonly assigned patent, viz 90 to 99.9 percent ofa wax component containing from 0.I to I0 percent by weight of a I buoyant particulate material component in contact with said With one heater for each tree in an orchard, reignition of theheatcrs could prove to be a continuous and inconvenient task.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an embodiment of the present invention there is included in a solid fuel heater comprising a container, a solid fuel therewithin with a wicking means, and a combustible insert sleeve which is fitted inside of the container extending above the surface of the solid fuel. In a further embodiment, the sleeve may include supporting legs which are useful in positioning the sleeve in the container at the proper height while the fuel is being poured into the container.

The invention includes fabrication of a blank for an Insert sleeve to be used in the solid fuel heater, the insert sleeve to be stamped or otherwise formed from a sheet or strip of combustible material and formed into a desirable configuration, such as the disclosed triangular shapes supported by legs.

In fabricating solid fuel heaters, a scoop of oiled perlite is placed into a container. Next, an insert sleeve is fitted into the container and held in position by friction or by supporting legs tltcrcof resting on the brute of the container. and a molten fuel composition poured into the container and left to cool and harden.

wax to increase the burning rate of said composition, the

buoyant material being selected from the group consisting of expanded vermiculite, shredded cork, perlite. pumice, hollow glass spheres having an average diameter of about I00 microns, perlite-vermiculite, perlite-cork and perlite-pumice mixtures.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 disclose the novel insert sleeve ll of the present invention, consisting of a trip of like normal .T-shaped sections each having a body I3 from which extend supporting means or leg I4, placed upright within the container 2 before filling the container with molten fuel 4. The body [3 should fit snugly into place within the containenand the legs I4 are to assure that the insert sleeve I2 is positioned at the right height therewithin, as may be predetermined for the particular size of container used. I I

This insert sleeve serves two main functions. As the fuel cools and solidifies, it does not adhere to the insert sleeve but slips down into the body of the fuel thereby avoiding the formation of voids or vugs. Also, the insert sleeve, projecting above the top surface of the solid fuel 4, acts as a well to hold both the initial lighting fluid and later the molten fuel itself,

preventing either from running into the void 8 along the inside of the container wull. liven with a tuuull vug in the solid fuel,

sleeve is important for use with a light wind blowing, because it acts as a flame holder to sustain ignition and burning.

When the sleeve is formed'with legs. they may be of any desired configuration, so long as space exists for the flow of molten fuel thercbetween. With the insert sleeve embedded at full depth in the solid fuel in the container, it serves as a supplementary wick to the primary wick (oiled perlite).

Particular leg shapes include the rectangular waveform as disclosed in FIG. 5 and the saw tooth waveform of FIG. 5a, these figures disclosing blanks for the insert sleeve which have been scored for easy detachment and folding into the particular configuration desired.

Reference is made to H6. 5, wherein a strip of insert sleeve blanks 12 has been scored to form triangular insert sleeves for thermal candles. The scoring on the strip defines insert sleeves comprising three normal T-shaped sections to make a triangular configuration as outlined by thesquare wave shape scoring 32 and the perpendicular scorings at 34. both for separation of individual sleeves-the latter scorings extending from the edges to the square wave shape scoring at the centers of the legs.

The strip of insert sleeves may have additional indications for folds, as shown by the dash lines at 36, to form the particular geometric shape of sleeve desired, in this case, a triangular shape. it is evident that the blank could he a roll and the scorings made so that any pluralities of legs could be used for the insert sleeve to define various geometric shapes. These fold indications are parallel to the perpendicular scorings and extend inwardly in the same manner.

While the perpendicular separation; scorings at 34 are shown as offset from the perpendicular scorings of the square wave shape, both perpendicular scorings could be made to coincide.

FIG. 5a discloses a strip 300 with a separation scoring 320, to define a saw tooth configuration for insert sleeves 12a. Corresponding to the perpendicular separation scorings in FIG. 5, there are the perpendicular scorings at 340 and the fold indications at 360. The legs 14 of the sleeve 12 are set on the bottom of the-container before molten fuel is poured therein. The edges of the sleeve are designed to fit snugly against the inside of the container to prevent flotation of the insert sleeve when the molten fuel is poured therein. The snug fit also makes it easy to center the sleeve within the container.

ln 8 method of fabricating thermal heaters according to an embodiment of the present invention a scoop of oiled perlite for use as a wicking means 10 is placed into a container 2. An insert sleeve 12 is then fitted snugly into the container so that it is even with or projects slightly above the top edge of the container. A molten fuel, the composition of which is the same as that disclosed in the above-cited commonly assigned is then poured into the container until substantially filled. the filled containerbeing left to cool and harden.

Thus..there has been shown and described, a novel insert sleeve and blanks therefor for orchard heaters which insures a better performance by improving the state of the solid fuel and providing'a reservoir for molten fuel upon ignition.

We claim: g

l. A strip providing a plurality of separable insert sleeve blanks each having a body and leg extending therefrom definirig a trio of like normal T-shaped sections, said strip having a square wave shape scoring centered along its longitudinal axis. I

and perpendicular seorings and fold indications extending from the edges of said strip to said square wave shape scoring at the centers of the legs defined thereby and with a pair of fold indications between said perpendicular scorings, said square wave shape scoring and said perpendicular scorings defining interdigitated insert sleeve blanks each composed of three said T-shaped sections. 

1. A strip providing a plurality of separable insert sleeve blanks each having a body and leg extending therefrom defining a trio of like normal T-shaped sections, said strip having a square wave shape scoring centered along its longitudinal axis, and perpendicular scorings and fold indications extending from the edges of said strip to said square wave shape scoring at the centers of the legs defined thereby and with a pair of fold indications between said perpendicular scorings, said square wave shape scoring and said perpendicular scorings defining interdigitated insert sleeve blanks each composed of three said T-shaped sections. 